The Risks We Take
by Auua Ytjoml
Summary: My name is Remy Lebeau. To my enemies it's Gambit. You can go on ahead and forget the first name for now. Every man has a price to charge and a price to pay. I've paid mine in spades. If I've learned anything about life, it's this - Always play the cards your dealt. My name is Gambit and I, I play for keeps.


Authors Note: I'm telling you right now that this ends in a cliffhanger. It was meant to. I originally wrote it that way, way back when this was a one shot. I'm also going to tell you that now this little number is the first in a 15 some chapter story. Unfortunately all but chapter 1 – see below – and chapter 2 are mere plot summaries. As such this will remain a one shot until further notice – namely when I finish writing the other 13 chapters. I was planning to do so before I published this but decided I couldn't wait. So on with the story.

This song is 'Live this Life' by Big and Rich. I'd advise listening to it as you read.

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I pace, slipping from shadow to shadow, running from the honey defeat and vinegar success. The computer chip burns a hole in my leg as I approach the skylights of Manhattan. I come here, to the city where I am one soul among thousands, to think. 'Xavior's dream is ridiculous. Unite humans and mutants? Inconceivable!'

But my mind rebels, drawing up images of Henri before he was killed; Merci, his wife; Jean Luc, our father; and me, Remy LeBeau. Three not so innocent humans and a devil may care mutant. A family, my family.

"Who does Xavior think he is anyway?" I mutter to a man rummaging for wood in an allyway. "Jesus?"

_Met a man on the street last night_

_Said 'is name was Jesus . . . _

Six hours ago I'd hopped the wall surrounding the Xavior Institute. Within minutes I was down loading the information I'd been sent here to collect. I recognize several names including a certain Jimmy Logan Howlett. I wonder why the Wolverine is here but it's not important. I'm about to the slip out with the same ease that I came in with when I find my body immobilized.

"Good evening Gambit, or Remy if you prefer."

My body is released and I turn slowly, grabbing three cards out of my pocket on my way. Xavior looks at me with calm eyes.

"We do not permit violence here Remy."

The cards float out of my hand and their magenta glow vanishes.

"The chip Remy" he asks holding out a hand.

I stay silent. He sighs and the chip floats over to him. He pockets it.

"Is this truly what you want in life Remy?" he asks.

"What do yo want wi Remy?" I ask, defensively.

He smiles further irritating me.

"I wish to know what it is that makes Remy LeBeau who he is."

"Well don't expect answers from me."

"Why?" he states simply.

"What makes yo so sure Remy know, what make im tick?"

"Do you wonder why you are opposing us? Why we oppose groups like the Friends of Humanity and Magneto alike?"

"Sometimes" I say warily.

"We fight for peace. To paraphrase Martin Luther Kink Jr. 'I have a dream, that one day mutant girls and mutant boys will hold hands with human girls and human boys."

_'He's crazy.'_ I think.

"Perhaps" he smiles, "perhaps".

_I met a man on the street last night._

_I thought he was crazy till I watched him heal a blind man. . . _

Four and a half hours ago Jesus (Xavior) was leading me back through the dormitories. Most of the kids were sleeping but I peeked in an open door where I heard whispers. The Wolverine is saying something to the young girl I vaguely recognize as Rogue. The look of tenderness on his face so surprises me, I stop cold. Xavior turns to look at me.

"Are you surprised Remy, that one who has fought his own demons for so many years might wish to stop others form having to fight theirs?"

"Who is she to him?" I ask.

"Rogue? He picked her up on the road in Canada and has saved her life three times sense. She's very much a daughter to him as he is a father to her."

I shake my head. "So he really belives your crazy plan for peace?"

"He did not at first but he has found hope in Rogue and the other students and children here."

_I watched him heal a blind man, now I see._

_I'll live this life until this life won't let me live here anymore,_

_Then I will walk; yes I will walk with patience through that open door,_

_I have no fears. . . ._

Remy rarely question orders. Doin' so jus lead t' more trouble tan it's worth. Belladonna n' Remy certainly didn't work out. Remy takes risks cause he don see a reason not to.

_Angles follow me wherever I may go. . . ._

An I don know whether et be guardian angel or devil lookin out for moi but dis diable blanc isn't dead yet. There's got ta be a reason for dat. Mebe dis is it.

_I'll live this life until this life won't let me live here anymore._

_Met a girl in a chair with wheels_

_Where no one else could see her. . . ._

A small girl with bright pink hair wheels down the hallway towards us.

"I had a nightmare, Professor. Could you- ?"

Xavior nods at me to take her wheelchair "Of course Sarah, Come on."

The girl, Sarah, looks at me. " Hello, what are you doing here?"

I hesitate. I can hardly tell this petite fille that Remy broke into her home. Surprising me again, Xavior rescues me - or the girl's innocence. I'm not sure which. "Remy is here to see if he would possibly like to stay here Sarah."

"Oh." She wrinkles her nose. "You must be like Jones, Remy. He stays up all night cause he can't ever sleep. I'd get tired if I couldn't ever sleep. I hope you stay Remy. I bet you'd play with me. Only Jones and Marie ever play with me. I get lonely."

Her tone demands a response and she reminds me of Merci back home. "Of course Remy would play wi' yo cher. But Remy not sure yet if ee's staying."

We enter her room and I help her into her pajamas and then into bed. Once in she continues our conversation.

"If you don't stay here will you go back to your family?" she looks up at me with concern.

I wince remembering the night Julian found out we were still seeing each other. Remembering the next morning, giving a hurried kiss to Merci, a hug for Etienne then leaving Na'leans for the last time. "Remy can't go back to is family cher."

She looks down at her lap. "I'm sorry Remy. I can't go back to my family either. Mommy died and Daddy doesn't like me. But as soon as my legs aren't crackled up anymore, Even'll bring me back home."

I smile at her. "Well that's good. Yo get some sleep Chere."

"Goodnight Mr. X, Goodnight Remy."

Jesus leads me out and shuts her door. "This way Mr. LeBeau."

I follow when I feel his power pulling at my legs again. "Where does Sarah live?"

Jesus takes a long look at me and I can feel a mental probe slide across my shields. He must decide that he trusts me because finally he opens his mouth. "She is a Morlock. A few weeks ago she was caught near an entrance to the sewers and the men involved broke her legs before continuing with whatever their plans for the night were. All of her bones were severely shattered and had to be rebroken several times due to her bone growth and healing factor but she is nearly recovered now."

I grimace behind my poker face. I may be the 'bad' guy but I'm not a thug. I'm not cruel.

_Met a girl in chair with wheels._

_And everyone was so afraid to even look down on her, _

_And she just spread her little wings and flew away._

We don't seem to be going to the nearest exit so I strike up a conversation, mentally cursing my curiosity. "What happened with her pere?"

"She physically manifested at birth-"

"Those bone growths?" I ask.

"Yes. From what I have gleaned from her mind her mother was a victim of abuse and died from sickness, beatings or both. According to Sarah herself, she ran off soon after that because her father was not feeding her and kept talking about exterminating that 'freaking mutant spawn of that bitch.' Castillo found her and brought her to live with the Morlocks a little over a year ago."

"Where she got beat up." I state.

"Where she has a family and hope for a better future."

We are at the door now. I can see he's thinking about something, weighing something in his mind. "Here." My hands automatically catch the small chip he flips my way. "We're not so different than you, Remy Lebeau. We just want to take care of our family. Only for us the world is our family. Think about it."

And I do as I pace from shadow to shadow. I do.

_I'll live this life until this life won't let me live here anymore_

"I'm with Magneto cause it was something to do at the time, somewhere to go. I don care about his personal agenda."

_Then I will walk, yes I will walk with patience through that open door_

"I'm dependable but I know when to quit. I have my morals."

_I have no fears, angles follow me wherever I may go_

I picture Sarah beaming over making a new friend when she has so few. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to live there. Pere would want to kill me but Remy can stay out of his way easy enough. "An der'll be pleny o femmes" I mummer to myself.

_I'll live this life until this life wont let me live here anymore._

_I met a kid on the bridge last night, contemplating freedom,_

_I met a kid on the bridge last night. . ._

I'm crossing the Brooklyn Bridge when I see that kid of Stormy's, Even. He's shed the shirt since I last saw him and his bone growths have grown into protective plates. I guess I can see why he's in the sewers now, although he'd never struck me as the responsible protective type.

What's up frere?"

He glances up and takes a defensive stance as he realizes it's me.

"What do you want, Gambit?" he asks.

I spread out my arms in a gesture of peace. "Jus' 't talk. Remy met yo petite friend Sarah few days ago." Telling him that I met her tonight is probably not the wisest idea. It turns out my answer is even worse.

"You're the one who did that to her?" His emotions are raging and I can tell that he wants to lunge at me but his voice and body don't give anything away. Good. He's learned sense we last met. I lean against the railing.

"Relax. Remy just visited Xaviers place recently."

Even drops his arm and looks back over the river. He feels calmer now but not at all guilty at having misjudged me.

"You planning on joining or something?" he asks after a while.

"Maybe." No sense handing out more information than necessary.

He sighs. "I'm not cut out for this. I'm still just some kid. I should be messing around with my friends not leading a community."

I gaze out at the water below reflecting a hazy mirage of the city lights. "You know, what happened to Sarah wasn't your fault Even." I'm not sure why I'm helping him. Remy's supposed to be the bad guy.

_And he said "I'm tired of this maddening life and I'm ready to go meet Jesus."_

I put my hand on his shoulder and guide him away from the bridge railings.

_And I say "He's a friend o mine, met im jus' last night, and it's all right."_

He shakes his head but suffers me to lead him back through the streets to one of the Morlock entrances. Walking through the inches deep water my ears strain to hear around the dripping water and echoing of our own footsteps. Suddenly and faintly I hear screaming, fighting. I keep to a walk but I've increased out pace. Headed towards the sounds.

A minute later he hears them too. His head shoots up and he starts running. I stop him.

_I've lived this life until this life wont let me live here anymore_

"Running in without knowing whats what, That'll jus get yo'self killed."

I take the lead. We hurry towards the fight and break out into one of the main canals. I frown grimly as a group of Morlocks, headed by Castillo fights off a group of mercenaries.

_Now I will walk, yes I will walk with patience through that open door_

I point towards their flank and Even nods. Then we both run out and attack. The men falter and some turn to confront us. I kick a man in the groin and then slam my elbow into another's throat. They fall to the ground. I leap over the heads of the crowd and extend my bo-staff mid flight. On the way down I slam it on the heads of two mercenaries terrorizing a small girl. She has a knife in each hand and I can see more in her belt.

"Ya Ok Chere?"

"Yeah" she responds curtly. I watch as she crouches low and ducks beneath someone's arm, driving her knife towards their face before jumping at someone else who strikes her down. I leap towards him and gasp. "Carmen!"

_I have no fears_

His staff flies at my face. I duck and kick at his kneecap but he dodges.

"So I've finally found Le Diablo Blanc" he sneers as we parry back and forth "hiding in the sewers where he belongs."

"Have the asassains been reduced to killing children for a living?" I taunt. "or are you not skilled enough to take on a real job?"

Out of the corner of my eyes I see Castillo protecting a group of five children. As I watch she is shot through the heart. Her killer raises his gun towards the children. Then I am on my back, Carmen leaning over me. The blade on the end of his staff tickles my throat.

"I'll make sure to console your father on his loss Lebeau." He mocks.

_Angles follow me wherever I may go_

Magenta flows up his staff and over his clothing and finally his skin. He yelps stabbing at my throat but he's already gone as his staff flies against the walls in pieces. I blink the blood out of my eyes and heave my body upright again – willing myself to ignore the burns and gore alike that now coat me.

_I've lived this life and now this life won't let me live here anymore_

The children are dead and the fighting has spread out to the surrounding tunnels. I am the only one left in this chamber slick with blood. I grab my last deck of cards from an inner pocket and run into one of the tunnels at random.

_I met a man on the street last night_

Come Hell or high water these people are suddenly my responsibility. I see a man shooting at a girl. His bullets spray across her back and ricochet off. She leaps up a service hatch and escapes into the New York streets.

I throw a charged cart at him but he turns a corner and I miss. My next target is a man dangling a knife over two children and a tall frail looking woman. This time I don't miss. He falls to the floor, the weight of his body sending a sheet of water to soak my legs and the children huddled there. I help them up the hatch, aboveground the lights of the city sparkle beckoning.

_He said his name was Jesus_

"Head for Xaviers!" I tell the women. The gunfire below us seems strangely muted. My hand slips the computer chip into her hand. "Give 'em dis. It's from Gambit."

She stares at me, then nods and beckons for the children to follow her.

I slip back under only to be shot the body armor covering my shoulders buckles and I hiss in pain. Three cards leap from my hand on instinct. They intercept three of the next four bullets. I'm on the ground, on my feet, as I watch the fourth. It is spinning slightly and I can see every dust particle in its path. They are beautiful – like thousands of perfect planets. Then bullet barrels through them sending them flying, freewheeling in all directions. It shoves past me. I reach my hand to my face and it comes away sticky with blood. My own blood.

Then my brother, Henri, is kneeling next to me, holding my head out of the dirty water. I frown at him. "Wha' yo' doin' here, Henri?" I slur " Though' yo were dead?"

He shakes his head. "Help is comin' Remy. Yo jus' hold on."

_I met a man on the street last night_


End file.
